There are advantages to being a licensed amateur radio operator. The obvious one: you have communication no matter what happens to the infrastructure. A not so obvious one: Most ham operators are more than willing to help if you have an antenna to put up, or a problem with your equipment. A obscure benefit: Once in a great while you’ll head over to help a fellow ham operator, and discover a Curbside Classic sitting in his garage.

My friend Lee is a retired sheet metal fabricator that lives in St. George, Utah. He asked me to come over a while back and look at some radio equipment, and help him with a computer problem he’s been having. We spent a pleasant afternoon together, and he walked me through his garage.

Over in the corner sat…uh…”Lee, it’s an old car! What is it?”

“An original unrestored 1937 Packard Super 8.”

In 1937, the Super 8 was Packard’s largest and most expensive 8-cylinder model. Listing for $2450 ($38,000 adjusted), this automobile had been modernized for 1937 with more manageable size and lighter weight, which translated into improved performance. The car was also streamlined, as was fashionable at the time, with a raked radiator. The radiator has adjustable fins, controlled by a thermostat, to control airflow and assist in warming the car on cold days.

This car was bought in 1937 by Dr. Asa Dewey, as evidenced by the medical symbol on the front license plate. This was back in the days where doctors actually made house calls, so it was vital that the good doctor had reliable transportation. Lee bought the car in 1962, which makes this a 2 owner car.

Did someone mention reliable? I’d say so. 74 years later, Lee takes the Packard out several times a year and exercises it. The only problem he seems to have is keeping the 6 volt battery under the front seat charged enough.

Lee even showed me 65 year old repair manuals that covered all major brands of cars. He showed me the Packard in each of the books. He also showed me a schematic he drew of the car’s electrical system.

Which brings me to the final benefit of having this gentleman as my friend. How many of these curbside classics have the authors ridden in? Lee took me for a spin in the Packard. It fired right up at a touch of the starter (If it doesn’t it provides a means to crank it: The front emblem opens up to reveal a crank hole). For a car almost ¾ of a century old, it has a wonderfully smooth ride. Lee informed me that the car still has the original “fillable” shock absorbers, where you would simply fill the shocks with hydraulic oil when they got low. The surprise was when he said the shocks were dry at the moment, having sat for a while. A testament to the springs and frame of this beautiful unrestored classic. All gauges work, with the exception of the temperature gauge and the clock. Lee has added an aftermarket temperature gauge under the dash on the left side of the driver.

Torque is incredible. In rounding a corner, Lee didn’t even shift out of third. He told me when he lived in Salt Lake City he would start at the bottom of the State Street hill in third, and never downshift the entire way. Quite a feat. Try to do that in modern cars. Especially starting from a stop in high gear. My F-150 complains if I try it in second (it’s a 5-speed).

Unfortunately, Lee is getting up in age and can’t work on this car as much as he’d like to. He told me he’d be willing to sell it to the right person who would appreciate it the way he has and put some real love and care into it. He’d be interested in talking to you if you are that person. I can put you in touch with Lee. Email me at rwayman@gmail.com and I’ll pass your message on. He will entertain all offers. (note: this was first posted in 2011 – ED)

Not your everyday Curbside Classic. But a fascinating one. A chance to see an original Packard Super Eight doesn’t come along every day. Grab the chance if you get it.

I bet there are forums for “Boat Anchors” too. I used to have a old 2 meter rig I often used in my ’63 LeSabre. It wasn’t from the era of the car but was from the early 70’s which is when I bought the Buick. You can look in my Ham borther’s garage and see a 56 Buick and my other ham brother and see a 60’s Triumph bike. In 2012 I operated the PA QSO party mobile from my ’63 at a car show and then two other counties in WPA. 73s KA3KSP

That’s how it all started for me, a somewhat weathered, “seen better times,” definitely unrestored classic, which nevertheless was loved by its non-mechanically inclined owner who loved the car dearly and faithfully spent large amounts of cash at a local chain mechanic at every slightest hiccup. Unable to keep up with the car any longer, the owner was looking for someone who would (their words) “know what they have in this car.” The way I stood there and stared at the car (no mechanical knowledge whatsoever at the time) I guess I had made my case. When we struck the deal the owner played a farewell song on the car’s stereo as a way of saying goodbye, and then a new chapter in my life and an incredible relationship/adventure began.

I hope that Lee finds the Right Person to sell this car to. There is absolutely no way this car shouldn’t last another 3/4 century 😀 …I say, it needs to be someone who can make a daily summertime driver out of that thing!

The Fifteenth Series (1937, more or less) was the first year for IFS on the bigger Packards. The One Twenty had both independent front suspension and hydraulic brakes from the start in 1935, but the senior cars lagged behind. I presume the comparative sales of the junior and senior cars had a lot to do with that.

One tip-off is the bumpers. From 1930 through 1936, the senior cars have hydraulic stabilizers at each end of the front and rear bumpers, which served to damp wheel shimmy and vibration with solid axles. They were dropped on the Fifteenth Series, because IFS rendered them unnecessary.

Beautiful looking car. I love original survivors. If any upgrades need to be done to improve the driveability of the car or the safety of the car, that’s fine, but otherwise, I’d leave the car alone. 🙂

What a beautiful car and the patina just adds to the loveliness. Is it silver or grey? The license plates are also nice, but I am surprised there is not a hood ornament. Would adding a swamp cooler be sacraligious? If I had a lot of money lying around I would buy this Packard and keep it the way it is.

I have driven/ridden from Southeast Utah to Northwest Utah over three days, but have yet to visit the other corners or the spaces between them.

When I was working in Berkeley CA in the early 1970s, a business owner, with the intention of doing a partial restoration for use in his business, bought himself an unrestored 1937 Packard hearse. Something had been done to it over the years to where the straight-8 was TOO TIGHT a fit…one day the fan belt broke and it was impossible to fit a new one…the crankshaft pulley was too close to the radiator…cleared by barely 1/4 inch, which to my mind is too darn close for comfort.
The car was “fixed” with one of those temporary “get-it-home” fan belts. The Packard
only went for short distances around town, and I never heard that the temporary
belt ever failed.

I left Berkeley shortly thereafter; I don’t know whether the business owner’s plans for
the Packard ever panned out. I think the chances are that it’s still a survivor now, but I’ve no idea
where.

I just love old four door cars like that. If I had it, I’d give it some new paint (same color) and get the little things like that clock and temp gauge back in to working order. Might even win some awards, I’m sure!

Such officials included NKVD chief Lavrentiy Beria, who was known (even by American embassy personnel) to cruise around Moscow in his Packard, looking for young ladies to take for a ride. You can imagine what happened to the scrupulous ones.

So a good way to stay alive in that era must’ve been to suddenly remember an appointment whan a Packard approached.